Gas engine



June 16, 1925 1,542,277

I. H. SPENCER GAS ENGINE Filed April 1920 2 Shoots-Sheet l I. H. SPENCER GAS ENGINE June 16, 1925.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES IRA H. SPENCER, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

GAS ENGINE.

Application filed April 10, 1920. Serial No. 872,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA H. SPENCER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of West Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have in vented a new and Improved Gas Engine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of engines above named, and an object of my invention, among others, is; the production of an engine that shall have a maximum degree of efficiency and in which objectionable features shall be eliminated.

One form of device embodying my invention and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,'in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of an engine embodying my invention, one of the cylinders being shown in central vertical section and other parts being .broken away.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of my improved engine, partly in horizontal section, on planes denoted by dotted line 2-2 of Fi ure 1, and with parts broken away.

s my invention, although not necessarily limited in all its features to a gas engine of any specific type, is especially applicable in many respectsto that type commonly designated as a. two-cycle engine, such engine has been selected by me for the purpose of disclosure of my invention in this application, in the drawings of which the numeral 6 indicates an en ine base, 7 a cap secured to the under side t ereof to close the crank shaft chamber therein, and 8 a crank shaft, all of which parts'may be of any ordinary and well known construction. The cylinders 9 are mounted on the engine base and are secured thereto in an suitable man ner, and they are refera 1y separately formed and indepen ently secured to said base. They are all of the same general construction and the description herein will, therefore, refer to one cylinder only, it bein understood that such description aplies equally to all. An inlet chamber 10 is formed in the wall of the lower part of the c linder and extends preferably completely t erearound and an inlet port 11 opens from the'inlet chamber through the wall of the'c ylinder to the'interidr'thereof. The formation of the inlet chamber is such as to create a flange 12 separating the inlet chamber from the interior of the cylinder, and relief ports 13 are formed through this flange to prevent compression in a chamber between the piston and inner wall of the cylinder, this chamber being created by counterboring the lower endof the cylinder for enlargement thereof to receive a sufficient quantity of gas to insure the delivery of a proper amount to the up er end of the cylinder, and the lower en of said chamber being closed by a flange at the lower end of the piston to prevent entry of gas to the cylinder except when the piston is at the upper end of thecylinder and the part 11 is open.

Said counterbo e is made in an annular projection 1 4: of t e cylinder extending downwardly into the engine base and-of a size to form between said projection and engine base a portion of a'- channe1 or channels 15 that continue through the-wall of the lower part of the c linder and open out through the inner wa thereof at a point slightly above the, inlet chamber 10.

An exhaust chamber 16 is formed in the side wall of the cylinder, in the form shown herein this chamber being contained in a rib 17 extending around the cylinder. An exhaust port 18 opens from sald chamber into the interior of the cylinder, this port extending preferably entirely around the inner surface of the cylinder. The inlet chamber 10 is likewise preferably formed in a rib 19 extending around the lower edge of the cylinder, and'proper means, as spark plugs 20, will be attached to the cylinders for ignition of the explosive charge therein. The upper end of the cylinder is preferably comprised of a cap 21 that is screwed into the 'body 9 of the cylinder, a cylinder cap adjusting nut 22 being employed for locking the cap in any desired position. By means of this construction the size of the exhaust port 18 may be varied and theposition of-the ,upper edge thereof with respect to the upper end of the piston, when the latter is in its lower position, may be changed.

A piston 23 is reciprocally mounted withi in the cylinder and a? piston rod 24 supported on a pivot pin 25 connects the piston'with a crank on the crank shaft 8 in a manner common to structures of this class. The lower part of the piston has a chamber that, in connection with the chamber in the crank shaft case forms a compression chamber 26 for a c arge of fuel as it enters the engine and in a manner like to that in prior 7 structures of this class. A piston chamber 27 is formed in the center of the piston at its upper end with piston chamber its 28 extending from the bottom of said 0 amber through the wall of the piston in position to register with the channels 15 when the piston is in a certain position. This piston chamber opens into a direction passage 29 also comprising a portion of the combustion chamber extending through a direction or central flow tube 30 preferably composed of nickel steel and projecting from the upper end of the cylinder in line with the piston chamber, said tube being preferably formed integral with and as an extension from a nut 31 screwed into an opening in the upper end of the cylinder, the spark plug being secured to and projecting within said nut. The tube 30 is of a size to substantially fill the piston chamber but preferably without touching the walls thereof, the purpose of this tube and the passage therein bemg to directflow of gases along the axial center of the cylinder to the upper portion thereof. Acircular, preferably dish-shaped, deflector 32 extends around the tube 30 near the upper end thereof and two rows of holes 33 extend through the walls of the tube, the holes of one row into the space above and those of the other row into the space below the deflector that is supported on webs 34 projecting from the top of the cylinder cap 21. The direction passage 29 comprises a combustion or i nition chamber, and the chamber 35 within the cap 21 comprises a portion of such chamber during combustion and it also serves as an'outlet chamber divided from that portion of the combustion chamber within the tube 30 after combustion has taken place and during exhaust.

' The crank 37 is preferably of the disc type for the purpose of fillin up the dead space comprising the cham er within which the crank shaft is located, and the piston may be supplied with the usual packing rings, and other parts not herein specifically described of any usual and ordinary construction, it being understood that the packing rings will be enough wider than the inlet and exhaust ports to enable them to bridge across and thus readily pass such ports. The structure thus far described provides an engine in which the incoming gas from a carbureter 36 passes into the inlet chamber 10 and through the port 11 extending preferably completely around the cylinder. When the bottom of the piston 23 in its upward compressing movement passes said annular port the gas rushes in to fill the partial vacuum in the crank case caused by such piston movement. The piston then efiects its driving stroke, compressing the gas in the chamber. in the crank case, and when the ports 28 from the piston chamber register with the"outlet ends of the channels 15, in the cylinder wall, the compressed gas shoots from the chamber in the crank case into the piston chamber 27 on all sides thereof, and through the direction tube 30 to the extreme top of the chamber in the cylinder without touching the burned exhaust gas previously ignited in the explosionchamber. From this point the incoming charge of gas rushes through the two rows of holes 33 in the upper end of said tube, above and below the deflector 32, striking the outgoing and burned gas squarely on top, forcing it down and out through the exhaust port 18.

The construction of the parts hereinabove described and the operation set out provides .an engine in which the incoming or fresh charge is preserved substantially intact without any commin ling or mixing with the out going or burne charge, and the scaven ing is thereby performed in a particulary effective manner, substantially all of the burned gases being disposed of and with loss of but little, if any, of the fresh or unburned gases. The adjustment of the cap 21, and thereby the changing in position of the upper edge of the exhaust port 18, enables movement of the dividing line between the incoming fresh gas and the outgoing burned gas to be so timed that said dividing line will reach the bottom of the ignition chamber at just the time the exhaust port is closed at the beginnin of the upward stroke of the piston, and this adjustmentmay be made on the test block when the en 'ne is set up and thereafter will require no 0 ange- As a means for cooling my improved engine I provide a jacket comprising a base 38 preferably completely enveloping the lower part of the engine and having stacks 39 rising therefrom and surrounding the cylinders, said stacks having flaring mouths 40 comprising intakes for air. Under some conditions of use, as in extremely warm weather, these mouths may be left open for I free entrance of air and under other conditions of use, as in cold weather, it maybe desired torestrict entrance of air to the stacks, and at the same time tovary the amount of air entering the stacks. In the latter case I provide a cap 41 for each cylinder, said caps having airinlet ports 42 controlled by dampers o-r valves 43 pivotally mounted to open or close said ports in whole or in part, said valves being operated as by means of a valve operating rod 44 pivotally attached to valve operating arms 45 projecting from the valves, and in a manner that will be readily understood, said rods being connected with an operating device located in an'accessible position, as on the instrument board of a vehicle when the engie is used therein. formed in each end of the base 38 of the jacket and balance wheels 47 are secured to the crank shaft outside of said jacket and close to said openings. Instead of employ- Openings 46 are.

ing a single balance wheel, as is common in engine construction, I emplo two of such .wheels secured to an extreme y rigid crank shaft and at each end of the engine, thus enabling a more perfect running balance to be obtained as to the crank shaft and engine, as this may be done in the usual manner upon the test blocks before the engine is installed, the two balance wheels being adjusted to secure a balanced running at each end of the engine.

These balance wheels are formed as fans with openings 48 extending around the periphery of each wheel and with vanes 49 extending inwardly from said openings toward the center of the wheel and arranged to cause a flow of air outwardly along said vanes and through said openings in a manner that will be readily understood. The outer side 50 of each fl wheel is closed so that the vanes 49 may have free action on the air and cause a very rapid flow thereof through the openings 46 and hence in at the top of the stacks 39, the air flowing in at the top of said stacks and downwardly about the under surface of the engine and in opposite directions and out at each end thereof providing a very eflicient cooling medium, and this cooling process is aided by constructing fins 51 projecting radially from the cylinders and extending in lengthwise directions thereof for a greater portion of the length of each cylinder.

I have provided means to overcome objections heretofore existing in two cycle engines and consisting of uneven and irregular explosions when the engine is idling, that is, when it is running without an appreciable load, as in the case of an automobile, when the vehicle is standing or coasting. It is commonly understood that this uneven and irregular explosion in the cylinders is caused by the supply of insufiicient amounts of gas to the cylinders when the engine is throttled down to run at the slow speed desired when idling.

To overcome this objection I provide means for supplying a less number of cylinders than the whole with sufficient fuel or other driving medium to obtain an explosion at each complete stroke of each piston in each cylinder so supplied, and thus I use efiiciently in a smaller number of cylinders the fuel heretofore inefl'ectively a plied to all of the cylinders and thereb o tain effective results in the use of sai less number of cylinders. Maximum results are obtained when operating the least number of cylinders that will maintain runnin conditions at the ;slow speed desired. 11 the preferred arrangement of mechanism the pistons of the cylinders that are supplied with the fuel are so connected to the crank shaft as to produce even and regular explosions.

That embodiment of my invention illustrated and described herein comprises an engine having four cylinders, and in the preferred arrangement I employ a plurality of carbureters, each of which supplles a cylinder or set of cylinders, in the specific ar rangement illustrated each carbureter sup plying a set comprising two cylinders located one at each end of the engine. These carbureters 36 are connected to a manifold 52 arranged to deliver the explosive charges to the inlet chambers 10, a valve within the manifold and operated as by means of a valve handle 53, dividing the manifold into two chambers, each of which is common to a set of cylinders, each set of which is supplied with fuel from a single carbureter. The valve handle 53 may have a connection for operating it in any desired manner, but when runnin under ordinary conditions, the valve Wlll be closed, as indicated in Figure 1 of the drawings.

A throttle valve of any ordinary construction is arranged to control the flow of gas from each carbureter, each valve being operated as by means of a throttle lever 54 connected with a throttle operating rod 55 extending to any point or connected with any device located in an accessible position for the operator of the engine or driver of the vehicle. \Vith .this arrangement, embodyin a plurality of carbureters having throttle levers operated from a common source, in order to supply one set of cylinders with the increased amount of gas, hereinbefore mentioned, at the end of the throttling operation, I provide for a slight opening movement at this time of the throttle lever that is to control the flow of gas to the operating cylinder or cylinders, this move ment of the lever being independent of said rod. I also contemplate a similar but closing movement of another throttle lever, although my invention' will be present in a structure in which one only of said operations may take place. In the arrangement herein shown I employ a pin and slot connection between the operating lever 5.3 and the throttle levers, in the specific arrangement, the rod having slots 56, each of which receives a pin extending from one of the levers 54 to permit this movement of the throttle levers independently of the operating rod, which independent opening and closing movement of the throttle levers may be termed auxiliary movements as distinguished from the main or regular movements of the valves to control the speed of the engine for running purposes, and which auxiliary movements take place near the end of the valve closing movement of the rod 55 and for the purpose of establishing idling conditions as to running. An auxiliary valve operating lever 57 is pivotally mounted on the rod 55 and has each of its this open ends pivotally connected with auxiliary .operating rods 58-59, the former producing auxiliary opening movements of one of the valves and the other producing auxiliary closing movements of a valve. An auxiliary valve operating spring 60 is attached at one end to the lever 57 and at its other end to a fixed point, as an anchorage 61, in the form of a lip projecting from a carbureter intake pipe 62, said anchorage having holes to receive the bent end of the spring and enable it to be placed in different positions. The operation of this throttling mechanism, is as follows:

Let it be assumed that the throttle levers 54 are in their opposite or open position from that shown 1n Figure 1 of the drawings, in which open position they will extend from their pivots to the left. In this open position the pins from the throttle levers will rest in the opposite ends of the slots in the rod 55 from the position shown in Figure 1, in which figure the levers are shown in their closed position, that is, in osition the pin on the left hand lever will e in the left'hand end of its slot in said rod, and the pin on the right hand lever will be in the right hand end of its slot in the rod. In this open position of the parts the spring will extend on the right side of the pivot of the lever 57 and said lever will be inclined in the o posite direction from that'shown, that is, it will extend in an inclined direction from its lower end upwardly and to the right.

The rod 55 being now moved toward the right the auxiliary lever 57 will maintain its inclined position just described owing to the pull of the sprin 60, and this will retain the pin in the eft hand lever at the left hand end of its slot and this relative position of the parts will be maintained until the movement of the rod 55 carries the pivot of the lever 57 past a line extending between the point of attachment of the lower end of the s ring 60 and its point of attachment to sai lever 57. At this time both of the levers 54 will have been moved to a positionto nearly close their respective throttle valves. Just as soon as said pivot of the lever 57 passes said int the spring 60 w ll operate to snap the ever 57 into an opposite osition, that is, to the osition shown in igure 1 of the drawings, in which snapping movement the right hand lever 54 will operate to 0 en its throttle valve to a slight degree an the left hand lever 54 will be operated to close its throttle valve. As a result the pistons in the set of cylinders comprising the two left hand and now idle cylinders will simply compress the fluid contained within them in one movement and such fluid will expand in the opposite movement and this operation will require very little power. On the other hand enough fuel Wlll be supfrom each of the carbureters is plied to the set comprisin the two right and cylinders to cause-sue fuel to be exploded at each complete stroke of a piston, and these active pistons being so connected with the cranks as to have a rh thmical movement, the explosions will ta e place alternately and rhythmically in the cylinders of the now only active set while running under the idling condition just mentioned.

The valve attached to the handle 53 may be made use of in case of emergency, as by failure of a carbureter to sup ly fuel in proper quantity to its set of c inders. In such case the valve handle 53 being turned to o n said valve, all of the cylinders will be p aced in communication with the operative carbureter-and receive their supply of fuel therefrom. This will be of a special advantage in the use of the engine for aeroplane work, as in'case of failure of one carbureter to supply fuel, the entire engine ma be supplied with fuel from the other car ureter or carbureters, depending upon the number of carbureters used with the engine. In order to render the results in this respect more effective the supply pipe provided with a valve having a handle 63, so that, in case of failure of a carbureter to work, as by reason of flooding, the valve controlling the supply from the defective carbureter may be closed and thus prevent the mixture of the overrich gas from the defective carbureter with the proper mixture from the other carbureter or carbureters. The handles 63 are shown in the drawings in position with the valves open and it will be understood that they may be, if desired, con nected to any mechanism for operatingthem at a distance.

I provide a hot air intake pipe 64 that extends through the exhaust pipe 65 and connects with the main intake pipe 62, and

the latter is su plied with a valve 0 erated as by means 0 a handle 66 to re ul dte the amount of air from the cold air intake 67, said valve being shown as partially open. Arms 68 extend laterally from the base as a means for supporting the en ine on the lf iigme of an automobile, aerop ane, or the 1 e. r I

The even and uniform shape of the cylinders at all points around them, when viewed in cross section, and from the bottom to the top, lends itself admirably to the cooling process, as the air passing downwardly between the jackets and the outer tion of the engine, may be obtained with a single carbureter as well as with a plurality of carbureters, by manipulating the single throttle valve in a manner similar to that described with respect to the two valves, and by arranging a valve or valves to shut off one or more cylinders (preferably the end ones) during such idling operation.

I claim 1. An engine including a cylinder having an explosion chamber therein, a piston located in said cylinder with its top in said chamber at the time of explosion therein, said piston having a central chamber with ports extending therefrom for flow of fluid thereto, and means for conducting fluid upwardly from said central chamber when the piston is in the lower part of the cylinder.

2. An engine including a base section with a chamber therein, another section having a projection extending into said chamber and forming an annular passage, said other section having ports registering with said annular passage, a piston extending into said projection and having a central chamber with ports extending therefrom to register with ports in said other section of the engine, and means connected with the piston to transmit ower therefrom to a member -within said 0 amber.

3. An engine including a base having a chamber therein, a cylinder supported on the base and having a projection extending into said chamber, said cylinder having an annular passage extending completely around it and a flange separating said passage from the interior of the cylinder and with a port extending com letely around the cylinder and having one e ge defined by said flange, a piston located in the cylinder, and means connected with the piston for transmitting power therefrom.

4. An engine including a base with a chamber therein, a cylinder having an enlarged lower end resting upon said base and a projection extending into said chamber and with an annular assage extending completely around the cy inder Within said enlarged part, and ports extending through said enlarged part around said passage and leading from said chamber, a piston located in said projection, and means connected with the piston to transmit power therefrom.

5. An engine including a base with a chamber therein, a cylinder secured to said base and having a pro'ection extending into said chamber, said cylinder being counterbored at that end within the base, said cylinder having an annular passage formed by a flange also'defining one edge of a port extending completely around the cylinder and opening into said passage, said flange having a relief ort therein opening from said passage to t e interior of the cylinder, :1 piston located in said extension, and means connected with the piston to transmit power therefrom.

6. An engine including a cylinder, a cap removably secured to the cylinder and forming a portion of the walls thereof and with its lower end spaced from the upper end of said cylinder to form a gap between said cylinder and said cap, a piston located to move within said cylinder across said gap and into said cap, means connected with the piston to transmit power therefrom, and means for causing reciprocation of said piston.

7. An engine including a cylinder, a cap adjustably secured to the cyhnder, the latter having a chamber with a port extending continuously therearound, one edge of said port being bounded by the end of said cap, a piston located within the cylinder, means connected with the piston to transmit power therefrom, and means for causing reciprocating movement of the piston.

8. An engine including a cylinder having an explosion chamber, a piston located therein and having a piston chamber with orts leading thereto, a member having a direction passage extending from said piston chamber to the upper end of the explosion chamber within the cylinder and with openings from said passage to said chamber, and means connected with the piston to transmit power therefrom.

9. An engine including a cylinder having an explosion chamber, a piston located therein and having a piston chamber with ports leading'thereto, a direction tube with its end extending into said piston chamber, said tube having a direction passage extending to the upper end of the explosion chamber within the cylinder and with openings laterally from said passage into the upper end of the said explosion chamber and means connected with the piston to transmit power therefrom.

10. An engine including a cylinder with a chamber therein, a piston located therein and having a chamber with ports leading thereto, a direction tube extending within the chamber in the piston and having a passage extending to the upper end of the chamber within the cylinder and sets of openings communicating with said last mentioned chamber, a deflector extending from between two sets of said openings, and means connected with the piston to transmit power therefrom.

11. An engine including a cylinder with an explosion chamber therein, a piston located in said cylinder with its top in said chamber at the time of explosion therein, means connected with said piston to transmit power therefrom, and means for initially introducing a charge of fuel from simultaneously controlling supply said piston chamber to the central upper portion of the chamber within the cylinder when the piston is at the lower limit of its play.

12. An engine including a cylinder with a chamber therein, a piston located in said cylinder, means connected with the piston to transmit power therefrom, a tube having an opening at the central upper part of the chamber in the cylinder, and means fonsupplying fuel to said tube for delivery into said chamber at the upper central portion thereof.

13. An engine including a plurality of sets of cylinders having pistons therein, means connected with said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, a plurality of sources or the medium for applying power to Said cylinders, means for of said medium to a plurality of said cylinders, and means for causing said controlling means for one set of cylinders to act differently upon one set of cylinders than upon another Set of cylinders.

14. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having pistons therein, means connected with said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, and a member for controlling supply of the medium for producing power in said cylinders equally to all of them and for varymg said supply to a portion of the cylinders.

15. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having pistons therein, means connected with said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, and a member for controlling supply of the medium for producing power in said cylinders equally to all of them and for stopping said supply to one of said cylinders while permitting supply to another one.

16. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having pistons therein, means connected with said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, and means for simultaneously controlling supply of the medium for producing power in said cylinders equally to all of them, said controllin means including means for controlling sai supply to one cylinder independently of the supply to another one.

An en 'ne includinga plurality of cylinders havmg istons therein, means connected with said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, and means for simultaneously controlling supply of the medium for producing power equally in said cylinders to a certain extent, said controling means including means for thereafter controllin said su ply to one of said cylinders in ependent y of the supply to another one.

18. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having pistons therein, means connected with said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, valves to control supply of the medium for producing power to different cylinders, means for simultaneously operating all of said valves for a part of their movement, and including means for independently operating one of said valves for another part of its movement.

19. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having pistons therein, means connected with said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, valves to control supply of the medium for producing power in said cylinders, and means for simulta neously operating all of said valves for a part of their movement, and including means for independently closing one or more of said. valves.

20. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having pistons therein, means connected with said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, valves to control supply of the medium for producing power in said cylinders, and means for simultaneously operating all of said valves for a part of their movement and includi means for independently closing one of sai valves and for independently opening another of said valves.

21. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having pistons therein, means connected with said pistons for cooperative dIlVlIlg action therewith, valves to control supply of the medium for producing ower in said cylinders, and means for simu taneously operating all of said valves and including means for independently closing one of sai valves and simultaneousl for independently opening anotli valves.

22. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having pistons therein, means connectedwith said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, a plurality of supplies for said cylinders all connected with a common source of supply of the medium for producing power therein, and means for simultaneousl controlling a plurality of said supplies and including means for automatically afi'ectin one supply differently from another supply.

23. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having pistons therein, means connected with said pistons for c'oo erative driving action therewith, a source 0 supply for a plurality of said cylinders of the medium for producing power therein, and means for simultaneously controlling said supplies'and includin means for automatically and independent said supplies.

er of said 24. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having pistons therein, means connected wi t h said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, a source 0 supply therewith.-

y shutting off one of of said sets of said cylinders 0 for a plurality of said cylinders of the medium for producing power therein, and means for controlling said su plies and including automatic means for independently shutting off one of said supplies and for independently augumenting another of said supplies.

25. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having pistons therein, means connected with said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, separate sources of supply for different cylinders of the medium for producing power therein, means for alternately shifting said supplies from one to another of said cylinders, and means for silmultaneously controlling all of said suples.

p 26. An engine includi a plurality of cylinders having pistons tfierein, means connected with said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, separate sources of supplies for different cylinders of the medium for producing power therein, means for alternately shifting said sup lies, and

means for simultaneously contro ling said sup lies.

2% An engine includin a plurality of cylinders having istons t erein, means connected with sand pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, se arate sources of sup 1y for difi'erent cylin ers of the medium or producing power therein, means for separately cutti off said supplies, means for alternately s 'fting said supplies, and means for regu ating said su plies.

28. An engine includin a plura 'ty of cylinders having istons t erein, means connected with said pistons for coo rative driving action therewith, members or controlling supply of the medium for producing wer in said cylinders, an operating mem r, means connecting said operating member and a supply'controlling member to permit movement of thelatt er independently of the movement of the former, and means for producin said independent movement of said contro ling member.

29. An engine including a plurality of cylinders arranged in sets and havin pistons therein, means connected with sai pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, a separate source of supfpl for each t e medium for producing power therein, members for separately controlling each of said supplies, an operating member, means connecting said operating member and each of said controlling members to permit movement of the latter independently of the former, and means for producing said independent movement of said controlling means.

30. An engine including a plurality of cylinders havmggnstons therein, means connected with sai pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, a plurality of members for controlling supply of fuel to said cylinders, an operating rod, a pin and slot connection between said rod and said members to permit movement of said parts independentl of the movement of said rod, and means ar effecting said independent movement.

31. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having pistons therein, means connected with said pistons for cooperative driving action therewith, a plurality of members for controlling supply of fuel to said cylinders, an operating rod, a pin and slot connection between said rod and said members, a lever pivotally supported on said rod, an operating connection between said lever and each of said members, and means for operating said lever independently of said rod.

32. An engine including a base with a chamber therein substantially filled, a cylinder risin from said base and having an enlarged c amber in its lower end to contain and ensure a full supply of gas to the chamber at the upper end of the cylinder, means for conductm a su ply from said enlarged chamber to t e combustion chamber at the upper end of the cylinder, a piston located in said cylinder, and means connected with said piston to transmit power therefrom.

33. An engine including a base with a chamber therein substantially filled, a cylinder rising from said base and having a chamber in its lower end larger than the explosion chamber at the up er end thereof to contain and ensure a ful supply of gas to the chamber at the upper end of the cylinder, means for conducting a suppl from said enlarged chamber to the com ustion chamber at the upper end of the cylinder, a piston located in said cylinder and fitting the smaller opening at the upper end thereof, and a flan e located on said piston and fitting the en arged chamber at the lower end of the cylinder.

34. An engine including a plurality of cylinders having istons therein, means connected with said pistons for -cooperative dl' lV1I1g action therewith, a plurality of supplies of fuel for said cylinders, each of said sup has being arranged to supply substantlal y equal amounts of fuel for driving purposes to all of the cylinders, and means for segregatm each supply to a certain set of said cylin ers.

35. An engine including a cylinder, a central flow tube located in the upper art of the c linder and comprising a com ustion cham r with an outlet therefrom for the products of combustion, vsaid cylinder havmg an outlet chamber, an exhaust port, and means within said cylinder to cause burned gases to flow outwardly through said tube, outlet chamber and exhaust ports.

36. An engine including a cylinder having a chamber therein divided into a combustion chamber, and an outlet chamber within the boundaries of the inner walls of the cylinder, and means within said cylinder for positively separating and thereby defining the combustion chamber as distinguished from the outlet chamber.

37. An engine including a cylinder, a chamber therein, and means within the chamber for, inde )endently of said chamber, positively directing the course of burned gases from the combustion chamber and segregated irom the incoming charge.

38. An engine including a cylinder, a chamber therein, an exhaust port, and means within said cylinder for positively directing the outward course of gases through the center of said chamber in one direction and along its periphery in the opposite direction and through the exhaust ports.

39. An engine including a cylinder, a chamber having an intake port and an exhaust port, a piston, and means on said piston and within said cylinder for positively directing the travel of gases from the said intake port through the center of said chamber in one direction and along its edges in the opposite direction and through the said exhaust ports.

40. An engine including a cylinder having a chamber therein, a flow tube depending into said tube, and means for forcing gases through said tube in one direction and along the outside of the same in the opposite direction.

IRA Hv SPENCER. 

